


Reunited

by psychicdreamsandangelwings



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Apparently I suck at summaries as well, Daryl doens't like being alone after all, Fluff, I suck at tags, M/M, Michonne sings reunited, Reunions, Rick and Daryl being cute and shit, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 11:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2620067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicdreamsandangelwings/pseuds/psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Rick are reunited after the prison falls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Daryl teams up with Joe and his gang of claimers but before Carl is attacked. Let's just pretend Daryl reunited with Rick before Carl's attack.

Daryl knows things aren't going to work out with him and the group he's been running with, and honestly he's not sure why he had staid so long. Maybe he's just latching on to the next group of people he comes across, too lost in his grief since he lost Beth to deal with being alone at the moment. The problem is, his and the claimers' viewpoints differ too much for them to ever be a single entity. They've got a code, a code they stick to, but Daryl doesn't agree with most of their actions, at least not anymore. They represent, at least in some twisted way, the man he used to be. But Daryl has evolved so much since he'd first joined the Atlanta group it's hard to believe he used to resemble them in any way. He briefly remembers a time back before he had met Rick Grimes and Merle was still alive when he could have gotten along with them just fine. Hell, he could have  _been_  one of them, could have fit right in and been an upstanding member of their gang, if he hadn't met and staid with the people he had grown to call his family. Daryl's almost positive he'd be exactly like them if he had met them before he'd run into Rick and everyone and the thought makes him sick to his stomach.

Daryl's with the group a little over a week when tension between him and the group really develops. There's been little discrepancies here and there, some of the guys _really_ don't like Daryl and had made it their goal to make his life a living hell, but to him it seems like they're getting along decently. He wants to leave, wants to take off and leave them far behind, but Daryl's scared. He doesn't want to be alone, no matter how much he hates to admit it, and can't bare the thought of starting over with another group of people. Daryl's trying to make it work, despite the fact that every warning bell in his head is going off, but it's not long before he and one of the other guys have a huge falling out that, apparently, is all Daryl's fault. Quick as a whip, everyone turns on him. Daryl can't remember what the argument is' about, possibly the guy’s graphic retelling of the kid he had raped, but soon enough Daryl has hands and feet pounding into every inch of his skin. He tries to get away, tries to fight back anyway he can, but there's only so much one man can do against a group that big.

They kick him until Daryl sees nothing but stars and is on the brink of passing out, his entire body on fire. Daryl's used to pain, had experienced it ever since he was a kid, but this situation is different. He almost welcomes death, after all he has absolutely nothing to live for. His family is dead, Rick is dead, Beth is gone, and he's alone. After a while Daryl gives in, stops fighting and just lets them go at him. If they want to kill him he's not going to stop them, they'd probably be doing him a favor. He has no one, everyone he's ever loved is dead, and he doesn't want to go on anymore. At least with him dead he has the chance of reuniting with his people, that is if heaven is even real and he's done enough good to make it there.

Daryl's just accepted the inevitable when the kicks stop and he gets confused once again. He knows how these guys work, knows that once they start something they intend on finishing it, and he doesn't understand why they've halted. But then Daryl sees the walker herd, a large swarm of at least twenty of the undead that are way too close for comfort, and he understands. They may want to make Daryl pay for whatever it is they think he's done, but they also want to live. Joe looks down at him, spits and kicks him in the side for good measure, before he nods his head and turns around.

The gang takes off and leaves him there, struggling to breathe properly and barely hanging to consciousness. He's sure they figure he'll just be torn apart by the walkers coming, completely underestimating the man they're dealing with. For a second Daryl thinks about giving in, just letting the walkers take him. He had already come to terms with the fact he was going to die and it's not like there's anyone else alive to miss him. But he knows Rick wouldn't want him to go out like this, none of the people he'd lost would want him to go out like this, and he has enough respect for the family he lost to fight, if only for their memory. He loves them enough to at least give them that.

Daryl manages to climb the nearest tree, almost passing out in the process, before the herd gets too close to realize where he is. It's not the safest position, but it's a decent one and the best he can do given the situation. Once Daryl's sure the walkers, and to a certain extent the claimers, are long gone he staggers down from his hiding place. Lucky enough for him there's an abandoned shack not that far from the tree he can use as shelter for the night. Daryl tries to clean his wounds as best he can given the fact that one of his eyes is completely swollen shut. As far as he can tell he has no broken bones, which is shocking considering the state of his injuries, but almost his entire body is covered in cuts and bruises. He hurts like a bitch, every part of his body screaming at him to stop, and Daryl's surprised he doesn't pass out.

Daryl holes up in the shack for a few days, letting himself heal as much as he can, before he steps he moves on. It's been a few days since the fallout and Daryl doesn't know what to do. It’s been years since he's been completely alone and the deafening silence is killing him. Daryl will be the first to admit he likes his alone time, thrives in the silence of his own thoughts, but over the years he's grown accustom to having people around him almost constantly. He used to complain about all the prison noise but he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss it. Even if Daryl went on a solo hunting trip for a few days, he’d return to the sound of soft cooing coming from baby Judith or the loud voices of the rest of the prison. He had taken advantage of his people's presence and had never realized what he had until it was gone. He misses Hershel and Maggie and Glenn and Carol and Rick, God does he miss Rick and those kids of his. He misses his friends, his family, and he wants them back, he’d do  _anything_ to get them back, but they're gone and there's fuck all he can do about it.

Daryl's been walking aimlessly down the road, looking for any place that might be a decent enough spot to hole up for, when he hears voices, too soft to make out from this distance. He’s learned his lesson about joining a group of people he knows nothing about, but he still wants to check them out to see what they have to offer. Daryl draws his crossbow, a precaution he's not going to be able to get rid of anytime soon, and moves slowly down the path, ears straining to pick up the slightest sign of movement. As Daryl gets close one voice rings out clearer than the others and the louder it gets the harder his heart beats. It's almost as if he recognizes that voice, like he's spent hours relaying his darkest secrets to the man. It almost sounds like-

“Daryl?” Daryl hears as he comes into the clearing where three figures are sitting. Daryl recognizes Carl, Michonne, and Rick right away, it'd be impossible for him not to recognize them. Rick stands up the second he catches sight of him, dropping the can of food he's holding in his hands. Carl and Michonne’s chatter stops the second he appears, their eyes trained on the two men in front of them.

Daryl doesn't answer, doesn't trust his voice to make coherent sounds right now. He quickens his pace, closing the gap between the two of them, before slamming himself against Rick in a bone crushing hug. The force of the impact knocks them both to the ground but Daryl doesn't care. How could he when he's currently holding onto the man he's been longing for? He wraps his arms around Rick, pulling their bodies hard together in a grip that presses painfully against the bruises on his body. He doesn't care though. He can't think about the pain he's in when the man he loves, the man he had thought was dead, is standing in front of him very much alive.

Daryl doesn't speak, can't speak. All he can do is clench his fists in the back of Rick’s jacket and press his face against his neck, trying to soak everything up. He inhales the scent that's uniquely Rick’s, the scent that never fails to calm him down, taking it in as he attempts to calm his racing heart. Never in a million years had he expected to see him again. Daryl's too afraid to speak, afraid his voice will start to quiver and give away just how much this reunion is affecting him. He's terrified that his mind is playing tricks on him, making him think Rick is really there when in reality he's dead. He doesn't know what he'll do if that's the case.

“Daryl,” Rick says in that quiet drawl of his that all too familiar, bringing Daryl back to reality. Daryl pulls back slightly, eyes roaming over Rick’s face, attempting to take in every little detail he can. There are no tears, both of them are too strong for something like that, but one only has to look at them to see the love they share and the relief they feel now that they're back together. You don't need tears when your eyes give everything away.

“God, Rick, I thought you were dead,” Daryl says, finally pulling away from the man enough so that they're no longer crowded against each other. The two of them are kneeling on the ground, so close together that their bodies are nearly touching.

Rick laughs darkly, making Daryl think he was lucky to see this man alive. “I thought you were dead,I can’t believe it’s you.” Rick tentatively reaches out to rest a hand against Daryl’s face, silently asking for permission. When he doesn't react negatively, Rick traces the bruises and cuts that mar his pale skin, worry in his eyes. “What happened to you?”

“‘M okay,” Daryl replies, resting a hand over Rick’s. His hand is caked in dirt, dry skin cracking from the bitter cold, but if feels so good to touch him once more. It’s been so long since the two of them have seen each other, have shared a simple touch, Daryl can't help but reach out to make sure he is still there. “Doesn't matter anyways, I’m just glad I found you guys.”

Rick nods, not wanting to get into too much detail now, and places a tentative kiss against the man’s forehead before he rests their foreheads together. Daryl isn't one for a lot of physical contact, especially not in front of other people, but Rick's glad to see the kiss has helped relax the tense archer.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you two together again. But ya think you could break it up? It’s getting dark and we need to find somewhere to hole up,” Michonne says. Daryl looks up to see the darker woman leaning against the tree, watching them with that half smile of hers.

She and Carl are looking down at them, watching their reunion with gleeful eyes, and Daryl’s face turns red. He had completely forgotten the other two were even there, so lost in Rick's presence. Daryl stands up quickly, Rick following him almost as fast. “She’s right,” Daryl says, coughing awkwardly in an attempt to cover the awkwardness. “We need to find shelter.”

Michonne nods and picks up her bag, her katana already slung across her back. “There’s a few abandoned houses over that a way,” she says, pointing to the right of them. “I’m sure we can find one that meets our needs.” Michonne walks towards the direction of the house, brushing against Daryl's shoulder in a subtle way of greeting. “Glad to see you, Daryl.”

Daryl nods, half smile splayed across his face as he lets her take the lead. Carl walks past him, following after Michonne, and Daryl can't resist the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. Over the years, and especially after his relationship with Rick progressed, Daryl has taken on more of a parenting role when it comes to Rick's kids. He's missed Carl and Judith almost as much as he's missed Rick. He's not going to ask where Judith is, he just hopes she had been picked up by one of the other survivors, if there even are any other survivors.

Carl smiles and claps him on the shoulder before he heads down the path. Daryl soon follows after the two of them, Rick pressing close against his side in a comforting touch. They aren't holding hands, or anything as girly as that, but they're walking relatively close to each other. Every time they take a step, their hands brush against each other's, reassuring the other that everything is okay. 

"Reunited and it feels so good," Michonne sings under her breath as she leads the way, making Daryl groan in frustration and Rick start laughing.

“Why do I put up with ya guys?”

“Cause ya love us,” Rick replies and Daryl can't disagree.

**Author's Note:**

> So what'd you think?
> 
> As always I have no confidence in myself as a writer, but what the hell. Might as well post it anyway, someone may enjoy it.
> 
> Just so you know, as the group was being reunited on the show, every time people met up I couldn't help but sing Reunited by Peaches, and "Reunited and it feels so good," was literally stuck in my head the entire time I wrote this, hence the reason Michonne starts singing at the end. I COULDNT RESIST OKAY. (I also wrote this while watching Harry Potter but that's basically irrelevant.)


End file.
